Track record: At Milliken, he eliminated supervisors by creating self-directed employee teams. "I was the last supervisor ever hired," he says. He built a supplier certification program at Sara Lee Intimates that cut raw material defects by more than 50 percent.

Obstacle: Finding gainful employment post-graduation is still a challenge even though the culinary and hospitality industry is not saturated, says Meredith Deeds, executive director of the International Association of Culinary Professionals in New York. Schools need to ensure that they are teaching students the skills that employers want, she says.

The plan: Creating partnerships with hotels, cruise lines and others in the hospitality industry to understand what skills are needed, then ensuring that Le Cordon Bleu's program provides those skills. "I want to focus on the industries that hire our students," Mr. Bartholomew says.